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Latest update on my laptop situation -- apparently the part it needs is on order from Japan, and will take another week plus to make it to the U.S. ... at which point Fujitsu will need to ship it to the service center and I'll need to go in to pick the newly-functional (we hope) laptop up. So, all in all, not ideal. However, I did get all my schoolwork-related files, and now have a loaner laptop courtesy of Lifesaver Dad. So now I have no excuse for not working except for my own procrastination. :-)

Actually leaving NH for New Year's, hurray. So will not be around to do my traditional midnight post and/or e-mail (though I could cheat on the post, at least, what with the time/date-changing capabilities). Anyway, best wishes for a wonderful new year -- happy 2005, everyone!

And finally: happy birthday to P.C., and (tomorrow) to M.J. -- just remember, all those fabulous parties are really for you. ;-)

Wintry wildlife


Okay, wildlife may be pushing it. What can I say; I'm a city girl at heart. :-) Day three of the grand attempt to study before New Year's -- without a laptop. Walking into the JReg office today I was greeted by an odd and adamant hissing sound, which turned out to be a bold gutter-climbing squirrel passing a warning to the orange striped cat that was hiding in the bushes just outside the office door. Proceeded to watch said cat, through the window, scampering all over the law school courtyard. NH is still deserted, but with a few signs of life -- some of the cafes are open today; there are a few cars scattered along the street. And it's starting to snow.

Is there something in the English-language tradition that parallels the great French singer-songwriters? Their longevity is amazing -- it's a genre that never seems to go out of style. Folk music comes pretty close, I suppose; music where the story-telling aspect is as important as the sound. Still, I think Americans are a little unfortunate for having to do without Serge Gainsbourg (on some of whose lyrics I gave a presentation in college) or Georges Brassens:

Mourir pour des idées, l'idée est excellente;
Moi j'ai failli mourir de ne l'avoir pas eu.
...
Allons vers l'autre monde en flânant en chemin.
Car, à forcer l'allure, il arrive qu'on meure
Pour des idées n'ayant plus cours le lendemain.
Or, s'il est une chose amère, désolante,
En rendant l'âme à Dieu c'est bien de constater
Qu'on a fait fausse route, qu'on s'est trompé d'idée.
...
Mourir pour des idées, c'est beau, mais lesquelles?

(To die for ideas -- the idea is excellent;
I myself almost died for not having thought of it.
...
Let us go towards the next world, loitering along the way,
Because, in rushing, it can happen that we die
For ideas that are out of date tomorrow.
And if anything is bitter, distressing,
It is, in giving up our souls to God, to realize
That we took the wrong path, that we chose the wrong idea.
...
To die for ideas is great -- but for which ones?)

Status report: computer continues, unfortunately, to be in the shop. At least until Friday, maybe until Monday next. Sadness. Starting tomorrow I must embark on a course of much studying, without laptop -- meaning that I will probably be utilizing the resources of the Yale J. on Reg., curled up with a desktop, a business organizations casebook, a snack, and a cell phone...

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year.
But it was a good day. :-)

Thanks to the merry many who turned our place into a lieu of festivity on Friday evening. There were lights, and blue and silver ornaments; there was food and wine in abundance (too much abundance, says my poor overwhelmed refrigerator); there was witty conversation. Gorgeous gowns and an elegant tuxedo or three made an appearance.
Must say, am feeling inordinately pleased with self for ability to host ~22 people. Cooked cannelini beans with thyme, and farfalle pasta with shredded escarole, garlic, olive oil, raisins, and pine nuts. The near-flourless chocolate cake I attempted turned out... interesting. "Cake" may be putting it a bit strongly -- the end result was more of a warm chocolate soup with crispy meringue topping, which was certainly yummy if not exactly what I was aiming to create. In any case, 'twas fun, and I'm glad that this year's Chrismukkah party has done our tradition proud...

[A conversation, 15 minutes ago:
-- There were three guys in tuxes in my room!
-- Yes, and they were discussing canons. Canons, with one n.]

Amazing.

So, the end result of my laptop's little checkup was that it required a new motherboard, at a cost not much less than the price of a new laptop (or at least a new, refurbished, comparable Mac). Not good news. Wondered what Fujitsu's policy might be about warrantying substantial repairs, and decided to give them a call. Before which I thought I'd take a look at my warranty info again.

Then ensued one of those times when I truly feel that law school was the right choice for me. Flipping through the warranty booklet that came with my laptop (with the words "1 year" on the cover -- hence the problem), I noticed a little chart, listing different laptop models and the standard warranty period for each.
E series. 3 years.
Série E. 3 ans.
Serie E. 3 años.
Immediately notified Fujitsu of this, and at their suggestion faxed over a copy of the booklet. Called back this afternoon, and they had, kindly, promptly, and without hassle, already adjusted my warranty from one year to three. Completely amazing.

They really do sell everything on eBay... A New York housing court judge goes for about $127.50, apparently. Poor judge. :-(

Woe

Laptop has decided to die. Is randomly freezing, either after startup, or during startup, or before I even get so much as a "Fujitsu" on the screen. Friendly computer help desk folks pried out my memory & hard drive, to no avail. So to NYC will I trek this weekend, and there see what can be done. Er, new Mac, here I come? :-(

Fashion as perversity

Another stock idea, recycled. On a recent trip home to CA, I saw a woman at the airport attired in tight pink fleece pants, UGG boots or some woolly imitator, and a white crochet poncho. The weather outside? About 75 degrees. What made this all the more odd was that despite her snow bunny style, she clearly would have frozen if she were anyplace with serious cold (like, say, CT)! UGG boots, warm (though, to my knowledge, not waterproof) -- low-rise pants and bare midriff, not warm.

I shouldn't really have been surprised. Fashion has always been to some extent about achieving the impossible. In ancient days, humans were subject to the whims of their environment. And then at some point, at least a few of them mustered enough resources and technology to defy their environment -- as a result, we have things like centralized heating, cattle husbandry, medical treatment... Now, natural selection tells us that we will find attractive the strongest and most viable members of our species. When it comes to survival, those who are able to master winter weather and supply plenty of food have a distinct advantage. And those who have resources will be most able to do these things. Hence: put on display your defiance of nature, and you will appear attractive -- but it's going to cost you.

What those fleece pants were really saying was, I fear neither cold nor heat; I wear what I please, knowing that I will be healthy regardless because I am able to afford a climatized habitat. In Rembrandt's time, large and curvy women were the epitome of attractiveness, because their size indicated wealth and abundance. By the Twiggy era, when food was readily available, the ultimate cachet was in being able to display that women in fact did not need it, could take it or leave it.

It's why we wear stilettos (look, I am not even bound by the physical proportions of my body, and can transform myself into a tall, leggy creature); it's why the tiny waists of Dior's "New Look" were all the rage. And it is interesting, because in a mass culture that is gradually embracing materialism and the importance of the body, we still feel some deep need to deny the body's importance.

[Related but off topic: the phenomenon of making new, high-tech items that look old -- defiance of the temporal. See, e.g., Pokia phone; retro iPod case. And finally (I'll stop now, really): I want that moped -- no individual links; you'll have to scroll down...]

Was invited to a dinner party this week by a very recent acquaintance. And, in uncharacteristically brave fashion (yes, for me, this is called brave), I decided that it is good to be social and meet new people, even for shy and self-conscious folks like me. So I went, and it was great -- good company, good food, good conversation. Which just goes to show you -- those risk-seeking people? they might be onto something.